Canada Payroll Lead - EOR

Position Overview

The Payroll Lead – Canada manages end-to-end Canadian payroll operations across all provinces and territories. This role is responsible for ensuring accurate and timely payroll processing, maintaining strict compliance with federal and provincial regulations (including CRA and Revenu Québec guidelines), optimizing payroll systems, and acting as the primary subject matter expert for payroll operations and statutory reporting.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll Operations & Execution

• Oversee full-cycle bi-weekly and monthly payroll processing for salaried, hourly, and contract employees across multiple Canadian provinces.

• Calculate, verify, and process standard and complex payroll elements, including gross-to-net calculations, overtime, commissions, performance bonuses, retro-pay, severance, and statutory holiday pay.

• Prepare and issue Records of Employment (ROEs) via Web ROE in accordance with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) mandates.

• Manage direct deposits, manual checks, and third-party disbursements, including wage garnishments, family support obligations, and benefit vendor payments.

Compliance, Taxation & Reporting

• Maintain compliance with Canadian federal and provincial labor standards, tax laws, and statutory programs (CPP/QPP, EI, QPIP, EHT, and provincial Workers' Compensation boards like WSIB/WCB).

• Lead annual year-end reconciliation processes, generating and submitting T4, T4A, RL-1, and summary filings to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and Revenu Québec.

• Perform regular ledger postings and account reconciliations for payroll clearing, tax withholdings, and benefit deductions in collaboration with the Finance team.

• Monitor changes in federal and provincial payroll legislation, tax tables, and labor codes, updating systems and internal procedures to ensure ongoing compliance.

Systems Optimization & Data Governance

• Act as the lead administrator and subject matter expert for Canadian payroll systems (e.g., ADP, Ceridian Dayforce, Workday, Payworks).

• Partner with IT and HR Operations to ensure seamless data flows and integrations between HRIS, time-tracking, and accounting systems.

• Drive continuous process improvements to enhance payroll efficiency, strengthen internal controls, and reduce manual processing risks.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Employee Support

• Resolve escalated employee pay inquiries, complex pay adjustments, and tax issues with prompt, professional service.

• Collaborate closely with HR, Total Rewards, Legal, and Accounting departments on policy implementations, compensation reviews, and audits.

• Coordinate internal and external payroll audits, serving as the main point of contact for tax authorities and auditors.

Qualifications & Experience

• Certification: Active Payroll Compliance Professional (PCP) or Payroll Leadership Professional (PLP) designation from the National Payroll Institute (NPI) is strongly preferred.

• Experience: 10+ years of dedicated Canadian payroll experience, with at least 2 years in a senior, lead, or specialist role managing multi-province payrolls.

• Regional Expertise: In-depth knowledge of provincial employment standards across Canada, including specific expertise in Quebec payroll requirements (QPP, QPIP, CNESST, RL-1).

• Systems Proficiency: Hands-on experience with enterprise payroll platforms (ADP, Dayforce, Workday, or similar) and advanced Excel capabilities (pivot tables, complex formulas, data reconciliation).

• Skills: Exceptional analytical ability, high attention to detail, strong problem-solving capacity, and experience maintaining strict confidentiality.